First Presbyterian Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker at First Presbyterian Church tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Back in 1885, the Presbytery of Central Texas sent a man named Reverend J. H.

Zivley out to San Angelo with a mission: organize a church. Now, he didn't have a building of his own, so he borrowed the Methodist church building, and seven communicants gathered around him. Seven people.

That's your whole congregation right there at the start. Mrs. A.

J. Baker, Mrs. E.

G. Burt, Mr. and Mrs. J.

R. Burt, Mr. and Mrs. J.

N. P. Cramer, and Mrs.

Sally Hancock. Those seven souls, meeting in a borrowed room, founded the Southern Presbyterian Church of San Angelo. Seven people.

Remember that number. By 1886, the membership had grown to 27, and they purchased land at the corner of Irving and College streets for five hundred dollars. They had a place to stand.

Then they called in an architect, a man named Oscar Ruffini, who designed the first sanctuary. It was finished in 1887. The congregation kept building itself up, piece by piece.

The Sunday School came in the late 1890s, with J. R. Burt, one of those original seven, serving as the first superintendent.

Shortly after that, the Ladies' Aid Society was formed, and Mrs. A. J.

Baker, also one of those original seven, became its first president. Those founding seven were not done contributing, not by a long shot. The Ladies' Aid Society, in fact, would go on to make one of the more memorable decisions in this church's history.

When construction of the present brick sanctuary began in 1906 and was completed in 1908, those women ordered an organ from St. Louis. A water-powered organ.

It has since been converted to electricity, but just think about that: a water-powered organ, shipped in from St. Louis. The sanctuary was dedicated in 1916.

An education building followed in 1950, and the fellowship hall was completed in 1956. During its first hundred years, this church was served by eleven ministers, two of whom served for a combined total of sixty-three years between them. Sixty-three years of just two men holding that pulpit.

Seven people in a borrowed building became a congregation that endured a full century. That's not just a church. That's a town finding its footing and deciding to stay.

What the marker says

The Presbytery of Central Texas sent the Rev. J. H. Zivley to San Angelo in 1885 to organize a church here. Seven communicants met with Zivley in the Methodist church building and founded the Southern Presbyterian Church of San Angelo. They included Mrs. A. J. Baker, Mrs. E. G.Burt, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Burt, Mr. and Mrs. J. N. P. Cramer, and Mrs. Sally Hancock. By 1886 the membership had grown to 27, and this land at the corner of Irving and College streets was purchased for $500. The first sanctuary was designed by architect Oscar Ruffini and finished in 1887. The Sunday School was instituted in the late 1890s with J. R. Burt as the first superintendent. Shortly after, the Ladies' Aid Society was formed with Mrs. A. J. Baker as its first president. Construction of the present brick sanctuary began in 1906 and was completed in 1908. In that year a water-powered organ (since converted to electricity) was ordered from St. Louis by the Ladies' Aid Society. The sanctuary was dedicated in 1916. An education building was built in 1950, and the fellowship hall was completed in 1956. During its first 100 years, the church was served by 11 ministers, two of whom served for a total of 63 years. TEXAS SESQUICENTENNIAL 1826-1986.